Library Consultation Results

The four week consultation took place from 21 August to 18 September 2017 to seek views in relation to the proposed procurement details for a library service in Church Stretton, and whether responses to previous community engagement exercises have been taken into account. There were just over 100 responses. All the points raised within the library consultation have been considered, and changes have been made to the tender scoring as a result of this exercise.

Further information about Library Consultation

Work to appoint a new provider to manage and develop library services in Church Stretton commenced when the council invited expressions of interest (under the “Community Right to Challenge” legislation) from local community groups in autumn 2016. Two valid expressions of interest were received and the Council is now undertaking a procurement exercise to select a new organisation. For more details of the Community Right to Challenge process please visit: http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/doing-business-with-us/community-right-to-challenge/

Whilst the decision over which organisation runs the library in the future is for the council to make, we want to make sure that we have taken into account the views of Church Stretton library users and non-users when we set out our selection criteria. These are included within the tender questions and the tender scoring scheme, and are informed by the library services service specification.

It is anticipated that once a bidder has been chosen, the new arrangements for the library service will be in place by Autumn 2018.

Shropshire Council is taking a locality approach to commissioning services. Engagement with local partners to support and retain the local delivery of a range of services and activities is a vital component of this work.

For the library service, this has meant working within local communities to find sustainable solutions that will secure library provision for the future. It has been recognised that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, so approaches have varied, depending on local circumstances and priorities.